At the start of this year, Sport Republic completed the ‘acquisition of controlling stake’ at Southampton.
Back in August, the Saints owner then added another club to their stable by taking over Göztepe SK. In doing so, they became the ‘first foreign investor within the Turkish football industry’.
Göztepe were relegated from the Süper Lig last season. Despite that, they now have plans to work together with Southampton because of Sport Republic.
The second division Turkish club’s sporting director, Ivan Mance, has now detailed he has long-term plans for Göztepe following their disastrous campaign last term.
The chief has also asked the supporters for patience before they can return to the topflight.
Mance made these claims during an interview with Bursa TV, where he also revealed the need to focus on improving the club’s academy.
Towards the end of the interview, the director stressed the need for Göztepe to work with Southampton to further improve their academies.
“We got good players during the transfer period. We recruited young, good local players. They started playing. The team is getting better every week. We are in a much better place physically than when we started,” Mance said.
“Our Scout department is still under construction. We do not want to make mistakes in this department. We are establishing a joint scout department for Sport Republic’s Premier League club Southampton and Göztepe. Göztepe is a big club, bigger than Southampton.”
“I’m here to build the best academy, the best system, the best scout team. Göztepe and Izmir are our biggest advantage.”
